Bearcats Salvage Finale vs Oklahoma In Grand Fashion

Game 52: UC 6 vs Oklahoma 14 Thursday 2:30pm

Due to impending inclement weather over the weekend, the final regular season series was adjusted to get the Sooners out of town early. After the first two games Thursday, the Bearcats probably agreed this was a good idea. 

With an at-large NCAA bid on the line, the Bearcats were not up to the task as the Sooners benefited greatly from poor UC defense. 

Things started out ok for the Bearcats in the opener. After the Sooners put up a run in the first, Kerrington Cross tied the score in the third on a sacrifice fly. Oklahoma quickly got the run back with a solo homer in the fourth, but Christian Mitchelle turned an inside fastball around for a line drive homer to left, making the score 2-2. 

UC starter Nathan Taylor finally ran into too much trouble in the sixth. After a leadoff triple and double, the Bearcats hurt their cause immensely with two errors and a balk. By the time the inning ended, Taylor was out of the game and the Sooners held a 6-2 lead. 

Josh Kross hit a solo homer to make it 6-3 and hope was still alive. That hope would completely be erased after the top of the seventh. Chase Horst began the inning and didn’t retire a batter. When he departed, Oklahoma was up 8-3. Drew Erdmann had a worse time than Horst. The freshman allowed three hits, hit two batters, walked a run in, and balked another home. It was 14-3 when the dust settled.

The Bearcats didn’t quit, however. If nothing else, they avoided the ultimate embarrassment of being run-ruled at home. But they could get no closer than the final score of 14-6. 

Game 53: UC 8 vs Oklahoma 12 Thursday 6:30pm

The nightcap of the doubleheader couldn’t have started worse for the Bearcats. Tommy Boba was tasked with slowing down the potent Sooner offense. Instead, he was the unfortunate recipient of more bad defense. 

The Sooner first inning went as follows: infield single, error, error (1-0), strikeout, hit by pitch, walk (2-0), fielder’s choice (3-0), single (4-0), double (6-0), single (7-0), fly out. Seven runs, only one earned and UC was in a huge hole. But, there’s no quit in this team. 

Kerrington Cross led off the bottom of the first with a solo homer. Hunter Jessee doubled home a run in the second. Cross homered again in the third and it was 7-3. 

The Sooners got one back in the fourth, but UC narrowed the gap to 8-5 in their half of the inning to make things a little interesting. 

Seth Logue relieved Boba in the fifth and retired the Sooners in order. The sixth wasn’t as fortunate, but Logue managed to escape giving up just one run. It was 9-5 when UC came to bat in the seventh. 

Landyn Vidourek was hit by a pitch to lead off. Kerrington Cross struck out and Vidourek stole second. Lauden Brooks walked to bring Josh Kross to the plate, and he launched his 19th homer to right, also his third homer of the day, to make it 9-8 and UC definitely had life. 

Unfortunately, that life was dealt a huge blow as Logue could not get through the eighth unscathed. Jaxon Willits delivered the momentum killer as he blasted a 3-run homer making it 12-8. The Bearcats got two runners on base in the eighth and the ninth, but could not come up with the big hit to get any closer. Oklahoma completed the devastating sweep of the doubleheader putting UC’s NCAA hopes on life support. 

Game 54: UC 10 vs Oklahoma 6 Friday 5pm

Desperately in need of a win, the Bearcats did something you had to see to believe. And even then, you may not be sure it actually happened. 

Everything stacked against UC in their regular season finale. Already down to an “emergency” starter, Brendan Garula faced one batter before leaving with an undisclosed injury. Griffin Hugus replaced him and held the Sooners in check over 4.1 innings. The sophomore allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits. 

As the game wore on, frustration seemed to mount for the Bearcats who desperately needed a “signature” win for their NCAA hopes. They left two runners on base in the first, second, third, and fourth innings while never denting the plate. Although there was an incident no one can explain involving an illegal bat Hunter Jessee used on a 2-run single that would have tied the game in the third inning. That only fueled more frustration. 

In the fifth, Hugus allowed an unearned run making the score 3-0 and hope was fading. Facing Christian Mitchelle in the sixth, hope faded even more when the Sooners added three more to their lead. It was 6-0 and the Bearcats seemed dead. But, they found a little life in the sixth and it started with an Oklahoma error. That seemed to lift the spirits and the Bearcats were able to scratch three runs across and cut the lead in half. 

Michael Conte, who relieved Mitchelle in the sixth, pitched a scoreless seventh and wiggled out of trouble in the eighth. That set the stage for something truly miraculous. 

The bottom of the eighth began with a leadoff walk to Kam Guidry. Tommy O’Connor followed with another walk and just like that the tying run was at the plate in Landyn Vidourek, who laced a single to left, loading the bases. Kerrington Cross got a run home on a fielder’s choice. Lauden Brooks followed by striking out and it appeared the rally would die yet again with runners on base. But, 2024 has been an eye-opening season for this dormant program. And this team just wasn’t letting it die without a fight. 

Josh Kross worked a walk to load the bases again. Hunter Jessee got jammed on a pitch to short and initially was ruled out by the first base umpire. However, on review it was reversed and Jessee was safe, making it 6-5 and kept the rally alive. Christian Mitchelle was then hit by an inside curveball that forced the tying run in and UC had new life.  

With two outs and the bases loaded in a 6-6 game and the season on the line, Josh Hegemann stepped to the plate. Hegemann, owner of zero homers on the season and his entire career did something he’ll be able to tell his grandchildren…he blasted a grand slam over the right field fence, giving the Bearcats an improbable 10-6 lead and sending the UC dugout and stadium into an absolute frenzy. 

But, it was only the eighth. The Bearcats still had to get three outs. And the way the inning began it seemed that would be a difficult task.

With his pulse no doubt raised, freshman Carson Marsh took the mound and promptly walked the first two hitters. Since closer Christian Mitchelle had already pitched, it was Marsh’s game to finish. He settled down to strikeout the next hitter. After going to a 3 ball no strike count on the next hitter, Marsh was able to battle back and induce a game-ending double play to seal the come-from-behind 10-6 win. The storybook win for UC keeps hope alive for an at-large NCAA berth. 

Up Next: 

The Bearcats (31-23, 17-13) open their first Big 12 conference tournament as the 5 seed. The first game will be Tuesday at 5pm vs UCF at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Bearcats won two of three in Orlando at the end of April. Game two of the tournament could be Wednesday or Thursday depending on how the Tuesday games go. Stay tuned to BCJ for updates on game times.